Cost of living in Wausau, Wisconsin

Wausau, Wisconsin has about 39,996 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $167,900.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Marathon County is $1,217 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Wausau. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Wausau, WI metro area, prices sit at 92.7 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Wisconsin taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 5.7% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Wausau's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Wisconsin home paid 19.06¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Wausau's bill.

EIA does not publish a Wisconsin gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Midwest (PADD 2) all-grades price was $4.237 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,033.76 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Wisconsin shares this price.

Among 372 places we list in Wisconsin with a rent figure, 170 have higher typical rent than Wausau.